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Bhubaneswar: A day after CESU CEO, Arun Bothra announced about launching special drive from January 16 to disconnect power supply of defaulting consumers, senior Congress leader Suresh Routray today warned the power distribution company to roll back its decision and stated that the party will not tolerate if poor consumers are forced to bear the brunt. The MLA also threatened that a massive agitation would be launched if CESU doesn't revoke its orders immediately.
Worth mentioning, Bothra had informed that Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU) Odisha has identified around 11, 397 villages for disconnection of power.
However, Congress stated the decision is autocratic which targets only poor people at a time when electricity bills amounting to thousands of crores are pending against several industries. "The party will storm streets if CESU goes ahead with mass power disconnection drive on consumers who are unable to pay the bills. The officials will not be allowed to enter villages to cut the power supply. The decision should be immediately withdrawn as students have exams ahead," said Routray.
If poor consumers face power supply disconnection, massive agitation will be staged. We won't tolerate this: Senior Congress leader Sura Routray pic.twitter.com/ds1j323cRa
— OTV (@otvnews) January 10, 2020
Similar views popped up from the Bharatiya Janata Party as well. Party general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan commented, "Threatening the poor consumers or setting such a deadline is not acceptable. May be Tata Power Co Ltd. has set up terms and conditions mentioning that it will take over management only after all the pending bills are cleared. I think there is some internal agreement between the two."
https://youtu.be/OLjXBE3eHpA
In his response, BJD MLA Sudhir Samal said, "This is a good thing that consumers are given deadline and they have been facilitated with depositing money in instalments. Those who agree to pay in instalments, they will not face power disconnection. If consumers have the capacity to consume electricity, why can't they clear the bills? No one will be spared, be it industrialists or common men."
As per details provided by CESU, only 1.10 lakh of around 7 lakh domestic consumers have paid their bills amounting to Rs 21 crore while Rs 1,971 crore is still pending against the consumers. As far as the government consumers are concerned, the state government has assured that pending bills of 5,965 government consumers amounting to Rs 64.35 crore will be cleared by March 31, CESU CEO said.
